The fables of Aesop by William Caxton (Jacobs)/Annotated/Vol. II/Liber Primus/Fable 7
¶ The seuenth fable is of the theef and of the sonne.
O man is chaunged by nature but
of an euyll man maye wel yssue
and come a wers than hymself /
wherof Esope telleth suche a
fable / A theef held the feest of
his weddynge / And his neyghbours came there
as the fest was holden and worshipped / and bare
honour to the theef / And as a wyse man sawe
that the neyghbours of this theef were ioyeful
and glad / he sayd to them / Ye make joye &
gladnes of that / wherof ye sholde wepe / take
hede thenne to my wordes and vnderstond your
ioye /¶ The sonne wolde ones be maryed / But
alle the Nacions of the world were ageynst hym /
& prayd Iupiter that he shold kepe the sonne
fro weddyng / & Jupiter demaunded of them
the cause why they wolde not haue hym to be
wedded / the one of them said/ Iupiter thou
knowest wel / how ther is but one sonne & yet
he brenneth vs al / & yf he be maryed & haue
ony children / they shal destroye al kynde / And
this fable techeth vs that we ought not to be
reioysshed of euyll felowship /